


Native Tongue

by lizznotliz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-31 22:03:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8595511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizznotliz/pseuds/lizznotliz
Summary: "Hey," Clark says, flicking her elbow. She rounds on him, sticking her tongue out. When he laughs, Kara tries not to think 'he abandoned you with us.' "Did you know J'onn speaks Kryptonian?"
(spacefam post-ep for 2x02)





	

 

("Hey," Clark says, flicking her elbow. She rounds on him, sticking her tongue out. When he laughs, Kara tries not to think _he abandoned you with us_. "Did you know J'onn speaks Kryptonian?")

 

She finds him in the armory after Clark leaves. The armory was always the safest bet back at the old headquarters, and Winn had said something earlier that implied J'onn was wasting ammo in an attempt to keep the peace with Clark. He's not firing anything now, but he does have several guns laid out on the table in front of him, stripped down and gleaming under the bright lights.

"Do you think he did a good job?"

J'onn grunts something indistinct that has a question mark at the end; Kara can tell he's listening, despite his singular focus on the weapons, he just doesn't understand what she asked.

"The translation Clark gave Winn: do you think he did a good job?"

J'onn sets down the part he is cleaning and folds his hands very slowly. "I'm not sure that's for me to say."

"But you speak Kryptonian."

When he sighs, Kara thinks he doesn't sound put out, frustrated like he has for the last week. He sounds... embarrassed, maybe, or even shy. J'onn ducks his head and speaks to the worktable. "I do," he admits. "I wasn't sure how to... bring it up."

Kara smirks, mostly because he's not looking at her, and speaks in her native tongue: _[You could have just said hello.]_ J'onn sighs again, exasperated this time as he looks up at her, but there's something about his eyes that tells Kara it's all for show. _[When did you learn?]_ she asks gently.

J'onn speaks slowly; whether that's because Kryptonian tastes foreign in his mouth or because he's carefully choosing his words, she can't tell. _[After I joined the DEO as Hank,]_ he explains. _[They had your pod, so it gave me a place to start.]_ He pauses, then: _[Jeremiah asked me to look after you and Alex. I thought it might come in handy one day.]_

Kara smiles, grateful. Alex's Kryptonian isn't half-bad and Winn's good at reading it but his pronunciation is atrocious. Still, she helped teach them both. She never imagined someone would learn her native tongue on their own just for her. "Your accent is very good," she says, switching back to English. J'onn looks almost relieved. "Better than Kal's, if I'm being honest."

"Don't let him hear you say that; we're finally getting along again," he chastises gently, but she can tell he's pleased. "I, uh, I wasn't sure. I didn't have anyone to practice with, so I just went with my gut."

_[Trust your gut,]_ she says. _[You nailed it_. _]_

_[Some of the vowels are... similar to Martian.]_

Kara leans casually against the table, reaching out to touch one of the pieces lying there, but J'onn bats her hand away. _[Maybe you could teach me Martian,]_  she says. _[Alex says you told her humans can't manage it, but I'm not human. I could get the vowels right.]_

J'onn is quiet for a long time, and he goes back to cleaning the guns laid out in front of him. Kara fights against the urge to say more, to say something, to push and prod and needle and convince, and instead just stands there and watches J'onn slowly and methodically clean weapons.

"What Clark said before, about how you keeping kryptonite here meant you didn't care about me, I know that's not true," she whispers. "I know you care, I know you wouldn't-- you wouldn't put me in danger, not ever. Clark was wrong."

"He was scared," J'onn says, brushing it off, but Kara can tell how much the words stung.

"Doesn't mean he wasn't wrong."

J'onn nods, accepting an apology that was never said, and doesn't stop cleaning the gun, setting down one piece carefully and picking up the next. Kara continues watching him for several more minutes, but eventually she gets the hint: J'onn's done talking for the night.

_[To be continued,]_ she says, echoing her own words from earlier in the day, and turns toward the door when J'onn's voice stops her. It's not a word she recognizes, but his voice is deep and sharp, and she remembers the desert, of fighting the White Martian.

She turns back around, but J'onn hasn't looked up: "What's that mean?"

"It's Martian," he answers quietly. "It means 'until tomorrow.'"

Kara nods slowly. _[Can you say it again?]_  J'onn is still looking at the work table, but Kara can see his mouth quirk into a small smile before he repeats the word, a little louder and a little slower than the first time. Kara lets the word roll around in her head for a second before she tries to say it. It's a valiant first attempt, recognizable if not entirely accurate, but the attempt alone makes a smile bloom across J'onn's face.

"I can work with that."


End file.
